


Landon's and Lizzie's Unconventional Road Trip Playlist

by RainyStitch17



Category: Legacies (TV 2018), The Originals (TV), The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: Angst, Attempt at Humor, Bonding, Fluff, Friendship, Getting to Know Each Other, Magic, Multi, Other, Protectiveness, Road Trips, Slow Burn, bc Lizzie Saltzman will accept nothing less, bc it wouldn't be a story of mine if there wasn't a least a little, epic epicness, literally them being chaotic together in multiple cities, probably
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:34:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,832
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23475538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainyStitch17/pseuds/RainyStitch17
Summary: It's the road trip from hell.Post forced Merge and unexpected nearly permanent death, Lizzie and Landon decide that they need a bit of time away from the Salvatore School. With one of them having the skills the other needs (Landon's penchant for running and surviving on his own and Lizzie's car) the two of them make a temporary shaky alliance.It probably wasn't their best idea.
Relationships: Landon Kirby & Lizzie Saltzman
Comments: 22
Kudos: 29





	1. You Didn't Tell Me That There Were Watermelons

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, I can't go outside and Legacies is on hold until further notice SO LET ME HAVE THIS.
> 
> P.S. I would highly suggest listening to Lemon Boy while reading a lot of these chapters especially during car ride scenes.

It's 2:37 A.M.

And Lizzie Saltzman is still awake staring dead ahead at the bare ceiling walls.

It's a clear night. There's not a cloud in sight which allows for moon to shine like the spotlight hogging diva it probably is. It's Lizzie's personal observation and she respects that. It's also only a half moon which means that the wind only carries the sounds of chirping crickets instead of howling wolves. 

It's 2:38 A.M.

It's been a weird couple of days. Even for them.

After the defeat of Dark Josie, as she has now been coined by the student body even though Lizzie will take Lord Josiemort to her grave, the problems at the Salvatore Boarding School had yet to stop. In fact, it seemed as if they had more problems then ever before. The Necromancer was full of dark magic and hoarding a Malivore 2.0 version somewhere, Hope, the resident hero, had fallen under some sort of sleeping spell and the resident bird boy had yet to rise from the ashes himself.

Of course they fixed it, they always fix it, consequences be dammed.

As it turns out, since Hope had been turned into stone in Josie's freaky fairytale mind scape - words that, for once, weren't her own - it had allowed for some magical loophole that kept Hope trapped in a limbo between her and Josie. Not quite in Josie's mind still, but not fully formed in her own either. Once Josie had finally figured out why it felt like there was still something stuck in her that shouldn't've been there it took nothing but a simple escapism and unlinking spell to free her.

Landon was a bit more complicated. No one could figure out why he wasn't waking up. Hope, the martyr she is, was in hysterics, just drowning in guilt. She spent a lot of her time wallowing in misery with Lizzie and Josie...especially Josie. The entire Super Squad poured over books and lore looking for answers as to why Landon wasn't waking up if The Necromancer kept up his side of the deal but unfortunately, one of the cons of being the first and only of your species means that history usually isn't on your side. They found zilch. Nada. And it would've stayed like that if Hope and Josie didn't secretly team up to astral project to where The Necromancer was, using Josie's lingering and thankfully, fading, connection to the dark magic that now presided in him, and interrogate him. A fuck-ton of riddles and ridiculous statements later and they got their answers. Or more accurately, M.G. did based off a theory he came up with based of a comic or movie or something.

Long story short, Phoenix fire isn't easy to come by and it sure as _hell_ isn't easy to reignite after said Phoenix dies. It took an entire coven, Hope, Lizzie, and Josie included, to summon the seven metric tons of inter-dimensional hellfire and guide it back into Landon's body and that's after they found another dimension to summon it from. And this was all based off a _guess_.

Lizzie still can't believe that worked. Landon is one lucky ass aves.

It's 2:39 A.M.

Lizzie wants a sandwich.

Luckily, she doesn't have to worry much about making too much commotion and waking Josie up as the girl in question was sleeping in Hope's room tonight as she had been for the most part since she came back from her walk on the wild side. Come to think of it, Hope and Josie have been spending a lot of time together. Much more than usual and no, Lizzie wasn't going to address the many questions it stirred up in her. It was too late in the night. Or was it too early? 

Besides, if Lizzie was being honest with herself, and she's been trying really hard to be, it wasn't entirely unwelcomed. Because while she knows that Josie being under the influence of dark magic was only because she was trying to save them thanks to the idea that their lovely, sadistic Uncle Kai put in her head, it doesn't make being killed, yes, for a moment Lizzie Saltzman was actually dead, and nearly consumed by your sister any easier a pill to swallow.

And she's _really_ trying not to focus on the fact that she lost. There was no happy ending to that story anyways.

So Lizzie wants a sandwich and she's looking forward to the solitary and silence of making one until she notices a single light left on in the kitchen and one Landon Kirby chopping up some fruit. An apple maybe?

She doesn't mean to start any conversation but as Lizzie pulls open the fridge door she finds words coming out of her mouth regardless. "And what are you doing up? Didn't know that birds were nocturnal."

Landon, with his attention on his fruit (it was indeed an apple for his fruit salad), doesn't miss a beat, in fact he even snorts."Oh Lizzie, you have the same lovely disposition of a graveyard."

Lizzie gives him a spiteful, toothless grin. "I guess you would know all about that wouldn't you?"

At that, Landon halts in his chopping, if only for a moment, before ignoring her and resuming. Shit, too far.

"Sorry, that was bitchy even for me. It's almost 3 A.M. I'm hungry and I can't sleep and-"

"-It feels like you're ready to crawl out of your skin?" Landon finishes, "And time is moving so slowly yet you still feel like you can't catch up?"

"Hit the nail on the head why don't you?" Lizzie thinks while rummaging through the fridge and getting the supplies she needs. She also pulls out a bag of cold grapes and offers it to Landon while maybe stealing a few pieces. It's a peace offering, no doubt, if only for tonight and it's one that Landon accepts. Heaviness averted, Lizzie motions him to scooch down the counter and make room for her sandwich stuff. He offers her some of his fruit salad and she considers but ultimately denies. Landon shrugs and just leans against the counter and eats while Lizzie does her thing. Neither of them talk.

It's quiet.

And nice.

Lizzie makes it through about half of her sandwich before she slows down on her eating. She doesn't want to finish her food. Because if she finishes her food she'll have to go back upstairs. And she goes back upstairs she'll have to go to sleep sometime. And then the next day will be here along with a new problem because there's always a new problem despite the lingering results of the last ones having not been dealt with yet.

Lizzie thinks that Landon might've come to the same realization too because a quick glances reveals that he's picking at his food too. Suddenly, he looks up from his bowl, making eye contact with Lizzie who on instinct, looks away only to look back. Landon opens his mouth to say something but apparently changes his mind. He pushes himself off the counter and murmurs a quiet goodnight to Lizzie and takes his bowl with him.

He's gone.

Leaving Lizzie alone with only her thoughts as company. Literally some of the worst company she can have at times.

Lizzie stares out of an open curtained window and peers up at the moon, sandwich forgotten. It hits her that she's just turned seventeen. She is seventeen years old and she feels like she's seventy-one. Her mother's God knows where, she had to absorb her biological one with Josie after giving her hell, she got stabbed and nearly turned to stone, and every time it feels like she's making the barest hints of progress on her mental health she also seems to take two steps backwards. Apparently the majority of people around her wouldn't care too much if she died because that's just their lives now and they've proven just how wishy-washy they are when it comes to the public opinion of her. Her love life is a complete mess with them either not working out because everyone feels the need to treat her like glass because she's Lizzie Saltzman, the crazy twin, or because she's the headmaster's daughter. And her latest infatuation, let's call it what it was, died in a prison world saving all of their asses after drugging her with his blood without her consent and calling her his dead ex-girlfriend. But not before he made her think she was insane. Like she needed any help with that. And when she's given the sweetest, kindest suitor that anyone could ask for in M.G. she can't seem to make herself go that far. Or maybe she can...fuck, she doesn't know.

Lizzie doesn't know anything.

However, she does know that she doesn't want to go back upstairs.

Bur she will, she does. 

Lizzie trudges her way upstairs and slinks into her room, her shadow blending with the darkness and she's not sure what triggers her but suddenly the walls are closing in and the air is getting to thick to breathe with. She can feel the tears stinging her eyes and the accidentally siphoned magic from the floorboards coarse through her body to her fingertips just waiting to unleash chaos. There's a growing wind in the room which is a problem because none of the windows are opened.

Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope.

She needs to get the hell out of here.

Without even thinking, Lizzie, slips on some bunny slippers and grabs her car keys from a nearby desk and bolts from the room and doesn't stop running until she reaches her car outside and is heaving in the front seat.

_In and out._

_In and out._

Lizzie's just trying to get her breathing under control which is how she doesn't notice Landon until he's opening the passenger car door and sitting right next her.

"W-What the hell are you doing here?" Lizzie sputters out. And why is he still holding that damn fruit bowl.

"We're practically neighbors and you made a lot of commotion coming out of room for anyone who was still awake, which I was, and I wanted to see if you're okay."

"Well I'm just dandy, thanks."

"Okay...well if this is what you look like when you're okay I don't even wanna know what you look like when you're not do I?"

If Lizzie smirks on the inside, only she has to know. "Shut up."

"Original."

"This is my car and I can very well kick you out of it if I want."

Landon raises his hands up in surrender and Lizzie's taking that as if she's one. She flops against her seat with a heavy sigh. There's nothing to talk about. Nothing to do. Nothing.

"You know what you said earlier?" Lizzie starts because Landon seems willing to listen. Maybe that's why she's about to bare a part of her soul, "About the crawling skin and the time and stuff?"

Landon nods and Lizzie takes that as a cue to keep going. "Well now that you've said it and now that I've thought about it...I can't remember the last time I didn't feel like that in some way, shape or form. I feel like I'm always trying to catch up or catch my breath, or catch a break. _All I want is a break and a minute to breathe._ "

Landon sighs, "So take a break." He says calmly which directly opposes Lizzie's tightening grip to the steering wheel. It's good at grounding her to reality.

"I'm trying. Trying and failing."

"Maybe you need a change of scenery."

Lizzie snorts, "What am I supposed to do? Sleep in the school garden?"

"If you think it'll help. When was the last time you felt...good? No, scratch that. When was the last time you felt healthy?"

That was easy. "Summer. With my mom. And a about a million healers. And a lot of plants."

"Do you wanna go pick some flowers?"

"I just don't want to go back inside."

"So don't."

Lizzie gives him a look. "Okay genius, then where would I go?"

Landon shrugs, oddly amused. "Anywhere you want."

"I can't just leave."

"Why not? I've done it like three times already. Plus, the Necromancer has been quiet lately and all the immediate threats have been handled. Now everybody's just trying to recuperate and find some semblance of normal. If there ever was a time to for a break it would be now."

"What about Josie? I can't just leave Josie without saying something. And my dad?"

"Go back inside and say goodbye or something then."

Lizzie shakes her head adamantly. "No."

"Okay then." 

The two of them sit there for a few more minutes, silently. Lizzie can't even believe that she's consider this. Well, she could always call them on the road and it would be like a week or two tops. There did seem to be a lull in trouble at the moment and if Hope really needed her help she was just one astral projection away.

Could she really do this?

Lizzie steals a piece of fruit from Landon's bowl to distract herself, much to the other boy's surprise. "Hey! I thought you didn't want any?"

Lizzie shrugs, "You didn't tell me that there were watermelons." She says, happily munching along. "I can't just leave alone."

"Probably. It can be lonely being alone if you don't know what to do with yourself."

Lizzie absentmindedly nods, her hands moving on automatic as she fastens her seatbelt. The reality of the situation was feeling a lot more tangible as she played with her keys in one hand and locked the doors with the other.

"Are you kidnapping me?"

"No, this was your idea."

"Not the kidnapping part."

"And yet you're making no move to leave."

"Did not expect you to want me here Saltzman."

"You and me both _Kirby._ "

"I expect to be paid for being your tour guide."

Lizzie snorts again before silence follows. Per usual, she breaks it. Landon only seems to be there to listen and there's something very...invaluable in that. "Oh my God, this is so stupid, are we really gonna do this?"

"Not unless you plan to vacation in the driveway."

"I'm gonna go a bit farther than that."

"Then drive, Saltzman. Put your money where your non-stop mouth is and drive."

It's a dare. A full blown one at that and Lizzie Saltzman has never been one to back down from a challenge.

It's 3 A.M.

And Lizzie's turning on the ignition. 


	2. Shut Up, I'm Snooping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three things: hot dogs, goodbyes, police.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's just them yelling at each other. It's literally just them yelling at each other. And I had so much fun writing this.

It's while they're driving and just before dawn breaks that the reality sets in. The sky is a dusty blue with hints of grey. There are still a couple stars twinkling up above, the clouds are tinted with pinks and oranges and even bits of purple. It really sets the mood for just how stupid Lizzie feels.

The car comes to a sudden halt on an empty road, lurching forward the people in the car. Lizzie's fine, she's the one who slammed the breaks after all but Landon is slightly less fortunate as he had fallen asleep a bit ago and was violently jolted awake by nearly slamming his head on the dashboard.

"Jesus, fu-" Landon cries out, half of it drowned out in a yawn, "Are we-, what hap-, where are- What happened?"

"We are officially idiots." Lizzie somewhat answers, "One of us more than the other. I mean, how could we leave without any food or money-"

Landon ignores her, "What time is it?"

"-Or hygiene products, or my hair curler, and what about shoes? Oh my God-"

Landon checks the built in clock on the car dashboard. It's 5:42 a.m. He looks around in pure confusion. It's an empty road with only dirt and trees around them but why does everything still look so familiar? "Lizzie, where are we?"

"-I left the house in _bunny slippers_ and I know I can pull off anything but if you think I'm going to go traipsing across the country or wherever it is we're going in bunny slippers then you, Monsieur Flambé are _sorely mistaken_ -"

"LIZZIE!" Landon yells, finally getting the girl's attention. "Where the hell are we?"

Lizzie scoffs and rolls her eyes, "Keep up, Lando, we're in Mystic Falls. Duh."

Duh???

"Duh?" Landon repeats out loud, incredulous. "You've been driving for almost three hours and we haven't even reached city limits yet? I could spit out a piece of gum from my dorm room window and it'd probably hit the Mystic Grill. Where have you been going for the past few hours? Driving in circles?"

At that, the silver-tongued blonde goes mysteriously silent and Landon's eyes widen almost comically. " _Lizzie have you actually been driving around in circles?_ Because that's not a vacation, that's...just sad."

"First off, ew. Second, no, I have not been driving around in circles!" Lizzie denies, "...it's zig-zags."

Landon lets out a groan of frustration and sinks backwards into his seat. He can't even munch on fruit in annoyance since Lizzie finished the remainder of it around 4 a.m. At Landon's dejected look and sagging shoulders Lizzie feels the need to defend herself. "It's not that easy, okay? It's not a movie where we can just get in the car and drive off into the sunset while the credits roll. I have to actually _go_ somewhere and I have no idea where to go, not to mention that I was right about what I just said. We are in our pajamas with a _fruit bowl_ to our name. Points on spontaneity but _we need a plan_. And this is coming from me of all people." 

"So what's the plan?"

"Glad you asked."

"Didn't have much of a choice. You kind of made me."

"How in the world did I make you?"

"It was an open-ended sentence. It practically begged for the answer."

"And you didn't have to answer it. Not everything is about you. So, _the plan_ -" Lizzie exaggerates the last two words to show that she's moving on whether Landon likes it or not, "-is that the school doesn't have its official lights on, wake up call until 6:30. Just over half an hour to sneak back in, get some clothes and cash and whatever the eff else we need, leave a quick little see you later note and book it. Capisce?"

Landon can't help himself, "You got it, dude."

Lizzie rolled her eyes and said flatly, "Have mercy."

* * *

The plan was simple.

The plan was efficient.

The plan was smart.

The plan...did not work.

At all.

It all started when Lizzie had been driving back to school. The two of them had planned to make good on their promise on sneaking in and out of the boarding house and were good on time considering that despite the fact that they were still in Mystic Falls, they were still on the opposite end of town. But it didn't matter. Things were looking up.

Until Lizzie decided that she wanted a hot dog. Because what's a road trip without greasy road food apparently? But in Lizzie's defense, how could she pass up on the offer of a hot dog vendor that was open at 6 a.m.? Landon didn't know that Mystic Falls _had_ singular hot dog peddlers. Then again, this town had a lot of stuff that it probably shouldn't've. 

Lizzie pulls up against the cart and honks a few times to get the man's attention. Also, instead of just parking the car and getting out to talk to the vendor, Lizzie continues to inch forward close to curb, just following him. The only thing they were missing were a white kidnapper van.

"Excuse me, excuse me, excuuuse me, hello, hello, hi." Lizzie calls out, each word accompanied by a horn squeak. The man, with the terrible observational skills, finally stops pushing his cart and pulls out his headphones while looking at Lizzie. Well, looking past Landon at Lizzie. "Hello!" He says, very chipper for 6 a.m. Landon vaguely wonder how long he's been up and why. Lizzie finally parks.

"Can I get two hot dogs please?" Lizzie requests.

"What?" The man asks.

"Two hot dogs."

"Huh?"

"HOT. DO-, this isn't working." Lizzie concedes, and then slaps Landon on his left arm to get his attention. "Get us some hot dogs, yeah?"

Landon makes a face at her while rubbing his arm, "Why me?"

"Have you not been paying attention? He can't hear me and he won't be patient forever and I want sauerkraut and mustard."

"One, gross. Two, how are you going to pay for it? You're the one that said that we don't have any money." Landon points out. Lizzie takes a moment to think about Landon's words before cursing internally that he's right. "Dammit, good point." Lizzie admits, "Wait here."

Landon watches as Lizzie exits her car and walks around the side and front of her car to over to where the vendor was, who was also snacking on bits of his own product. Landon isn't really paying attention much to their conversation despite him being two feet away at max. But in his defense, how invigorating can a hot dog order be? Later, he will come to regret this. However, in the moment, Landon watches as Lizzie's frantic hand motions exaggerate her frustrations. She walks back over to him with a look of annoyance set on her face.

Lizzie leans down to the window, "He won't give us the hot dogs."

"Hmm, I wonder why..." Landon deadpans but instead of getting back in the car, like Landon expected, Lizzie instead sports a smirk before touching his shoulder and siphoning a bit of magic from him. He wouldn't have noticed if it wasn't for the slightly drowsy feeling he got every time he's been siphoned. Apparently, it's a common feeling among the student body. Landon's not all that surprised.

Lizzie walks away and again, Landon watches, almost in slow motion, as she faces the vendor and with a wave of her hand, the man is falling to the ground (hopefully) unconscious. 

WHAT?

Landon scrambles out of the car and rushes towards Lizzie who's making and packing as many hot dogs as she can carry. "Lizzie, what the fuck?! Did you really just kill someone over a hot dog?"

"I did not kill someone over a hot dog." Lizzie looks up, the picture of perfect innocence, like holding a hand full of blended meat and sauerkraut at the break of dawn is normal, "I rendered someone _unconscious_ over _several_ hot dogs. Now help me load the sauerkraut into the car."

"What is up with you and sauerkraut? Isn't just like limp lettuce?"

"I'm not gonna argue with someone who ate Thumper's cousin probably." At Landon's scandalized look, she clarifies, "Raf told me. Now move it Kirby."

Confused, scandalized, and admittedly a little hungry, Landon grumbles under his breath as he loads messy plastic bags of food through the backseat window. "It was one time and I don't even like rabbits..."

With bags filled with what could assemble at least five hot dogs, Lizzie and Landon race back into the car, hoping to make their deadline with only twenty minutes remain. As they put on their seat belts Landon speaks up. "You steal my fruit, you kidnap me and now you've turned me to a life of crime. Hell of an influence Saltzman. Not to mention that we now smell like greasy pig butt."

"The best you've smelled I'm sure." Lizzie retorts, before turning on the car and turning up the volume on the radio. Some random pop song blaring through the speakers. "They're hot dogs, he'll be fine and we can pay him back or something when we get back or leave a note for my dad. Let the music drown out your guilt."

* * *

Sneaking back into a school is significantly harder than sneaking out of it. Especially when you're trying to sneak back out a second time.

With only wisps of darkness still remaining in the sky Lizzie and Landon scramble to gather as much as they can gather that they think they'll need as quickly as possible. Then again, the process probably would've gone faster if Lizzie hadn't sent Landon back to return a Star Wars movie set (though she did let him bring the Harry Potter ones and his guitar) and if Landon didn't make Lizzie return thirteen pairs of shoes. ("No way in everlasting hell am I carrying that for you Saltzman. I'm maxing you at five since we both know that I'll probably be carrying them.") All in all they did a pretty decent job with packing the essentials of clothes, toiletries and whatever spare cash the two of them had laying around. Lizzie maybe had to stop herself from dipping into Josie's piggy bank just a little with the rational that since they were twins, they practically shared everything anyways. What's a bit of cash between blood? And sisters no less?

But she _didn't._

And that's all that matters.

And of course they had to raid the kitchen for snacks. ("What is with your obsession for watermelon?"

_"Rabbit. Eater."_

"Shut up...and grab the grapes.") 

All that was left was for Lizzie to leave the goodbye note on her father's desk that would explain her and Landon's sudden disappearance. No need to provoke Hero Hope into action when it was unnecessary. After loading their bags into the car, Lizzie told Landon to stand guard at the door and even cast an temporary invisibility spell on him to give him a leg up on any surprise visitors. The hard part wasn't getting into the office but not disturbing her father from his sleep because his own private room was literally one hidden-door-in-a-bookcase away from his office.

 _"Talk about being married to your work."_ Lizzie briefly thinks.

In a panic state that hadn't left her since she stepped back into the school, Lizzie tries to hurry and find something to write with and comes away with a yellow sticky pad. Except now there's nothing to write with because the most magical thing ever is how pens are always disappearing. The sound of her father snoring gives a small comfort to Lizzie though not much because she knows that he's trained himself to be a light sleeper. As slowly and quietly as she can, Lizzie rummages through her father's draws looking for something to write with and only comes up with some small arrows, knives, a yo-yo, darts and rope.

What does it say about their lives that the most curious thing in her father's desk was the yo-yo?

While she's in the desk draws Lizzie's not looking for anything specific - sans pen - or snoop worthing and mostly just skims over random documents and the likes until she stumbles upon a note that says _"You're da bomb - Mac."_

 _"And what is this?"_ Lizzie wonders as she inspects the note, the only other clue being a bar logo on the back. Her dad doesn't go out...like ever which means it must've been a pretty substantial outing, and probably with a woman (though Lizzie wouldn't mind if she were wrong) for her father to keep the note which means her father had been on a date or was about to go on a date.

...Well obviously she had to keep investigating while she still had the opportunity. 

Lizzie didn't know the exact amount of time that she had been looking through her father's stuff - it didn't help that she didn't really know what to look for - but she could assume that she had probably been there a smidge too long if Landon bursting into the room, invisibility spell worn off, meant anything. 

"Lizzie, what's taking so long?" Landon whisper yelled.

"Shush!"

"The sun is officially up and soon the kids will be too!"

"Shut up, I'm snooping." Lizzie vaguely explains, still poking around. Landon rolls his eyes and marches over to where Lizzie is and bends down so he's at least at the same eye level as her. "Either we go to the car or we go to Ms. Finch's algebra class. Your choice."

 _That_ gets Lizzie's attention. She _hates_ math. Sucks at it too. At last she gives up, dropping the various miscellaneous files and closing the drawers. Lizzie grabs the once forgotten sticky note and contemplates what to write until she remembers that she still doesn't have a damn pen.

"Nothing to write with." Lizzie says and Landon pauses for a second, stumped that that was what was taking her so long before leaving the room. He's gone a grand total of fifteen seconds before he comes back into the room with a pen in his hand.

"Ta da." Landon says, offering the pen. Lizzie snatches it.

"You're welcome."

"Where'd you find this?"

"Does it matter? Write."

Realizing that she's pressed for time and never really being all too good with words unless it was insults (that was more Josie's thing) Lizzie scrambles out a quick goodbye containing the following; _Me and the bird boy are gonna go sightseeing for a while. Promise to be safe...ish. Saw the note with the joke on it. And we are SO talking about it when I get back. P.S. CALL HER. P.P.S. Love you, daddy. P.P.P.S. Seriously, call her. -Lizzie_

Lizzie slams the pen on the table looking quite satisfied at her note if she does say so herself. And she would've admired her work for just a tad longer if it wasn't for the telltale groans of her father waking up. Lizzie's eyes widen when they meet with Landon's. "RUN."

She grabs his wrist and whisks him out the door. "All that noise and _that's_ what wakes your dad up?"

* * *

On the road again, Landon and Lizzie start to make plans about where they should go first. 

"Disneyland."

"You are so basic." Lizzie chides, messing with the radio trying to find a good station. Little does she know that Landon is planning to hijack the stereo with his own playlist on his phone that he stole back a while ago the minute both of her hands are occupied.

"Says the girl who wants to head to New York because it's the shopping capital of the world."

"It's been a stressful year and I think I deserve a couple of treats for myself."

Landon reaches over to the back seat and pulls out a messy bag of hot dogs, "Have you forgotten that we have maybe fifty bucks between the two of us and hot dogs to our name?" Landon emphasizes his point by shaking the bag particularly close to Lizzie's ear.

"That's why I have a plan."

"We are not knocking out more people so that you can get free stuff." Landon objects. Lizzie rolls her eyes, "Oh my gosh, are you still on that? When are you gonna get over it? That's in the past now."

"That was literally less than a half hour ago!"

"Exactly!" Lizzie says, meeting him dead in the eyes, " _The past._ "

"Besides it's not like we, yes _we_ , you're an accomplice, did anything _that_ bad. In fact I'd argue that we made his day better by giving him an outrageous story to tell at parties and stu-" Lizzie had absolutely no problem explaining her case but she was suddenly interrupted by the blaring sounds coming from the siren of the police car that was trailing behind them.

"Dammit." Lizzie muttered under her breath as she pulled over to the side of the curb. While she was still relatively calm, Landon was starting to turn a light shade of green and his right hand was grasping onto the car door for dear life. Almost like he was planning to bolt at any second if you startled him. There was no way in hell that Lizzie was letting him leave without her. After all, this was more or less his idea.

"Just let me do all the talking." Lizzie half demands, half soothes. A female cop slowly makes her way to the side of Lizzie's driver door. She's a tall and dirty blonde with sunglasses covering her eyes, who bends down to greet them, motioning Lizzie to lower her window. Lizzie complies.

"Good morning officer." Lizzie says sweetly with the biggest smile on her face. "How are you?"

"Dandy." The reply is flat and business like. Okay then. "License and registration please."

Lizzie makes silent eye contact with Landon and for a moment, a fear grips his heart like a vice that in all of the chaos in trying to leave for their road trip, Lizzie forgot to grab her license. Something quite essential for a road trip. But then she's motioning for him to open the glove compartment and lo and behold, there they are, sitting there patiently, gathering dust just waiting to be used. 

It's passed over to Lizzie who passes it over to the lady cop who lowers her shades to reveal weathered blue eyes and inspects it with a attentive eye while sneaking glances at Lizzie. Almost like she's deliberately looking for something. Lizzie gets her stuff back but the cop isn't done with them yet.

"Ms. Saltzman, is it? Would you say that you're the sole owner of this car?"

Lizzie tries to think of a fitting answer. "Uh, kind of, I guess."

"You guess?" The officer presses. Jeez, why did this suddenly feel like an investigation?

"...Yes, I am." Lizzie answers tentatively while Landon watches on in silence with rapt attention and growing nerves.

"And where were you and your companion between 6 an 6:45 a.m. today?" 

_Oh shit._

"Why am I being asked that?" Lizzie tries to stall. The cop complies with her. Like she's playing with them because suddenly there's this coy smile on her lips. "There was a theft that was reported today and you two fit the descriptions of the two culprits who committed the robbery. Platinum blonde dye and...bonsai hair."

Lizzie self consciously plays with her hair, lightly stoking it. "My hair is not dyed...or platinum. And we had nothing to do with that."

The officer raises a disapproving eyebrow at that. "Guess what was stolen? Hot dogs." The lady's gaze shifts over to Landon who slowly looks down at his lap, silently willing the forgotten hot dogs that he had used earlier to berate Lizzie with to not be there. But no, his phoenix powers did nothing to get rid of the incriminating, messy, yet delicious evidence that was sitting in his lap.

"We can explain." Lizzie says right off the bat, "We like hot dogs."

The officer nods as if she were talking to a little girl raving about mermaids and dragons. How rude. Especially when Lizzie can confirm that it least one of the two exists. "I'm sure. Why don't we make this nice and easy and you both get out of the car one at a time."

Lizzie shoots Landon a pleading look, who in return sends a helpless one of his own with the stupid incriminating hot dogs still in his lap, before begrudgingly stepping out of the car with her hands up in the air like she's in one of those cop shows. Moments later, Landon follows her lead and is standing next to her but his arms are down.

"Do you two kids have anyone we can call to clear this whole mess up? Or at the very least to pay for the hot dogs?"

"I want my lawyer." Lizzie says, on edge and stubborn to the very end. If she was so busy making sure she look pretty and indignant and pretty indignant she would've seen the looks that both the pretty blonde cop and Landon were giving her.

The cop in question raises an eyebrow, "So you rather we take this down to the station where you can meet your so-called lawyer?"

"Yes." Lizzie states.

"No." Landon also states at the same time. With her hands still up in the air, mind you, Lizzie whips her head to the left to glare at Landon. "We admit to nothing." She bites out, growls really. Hope would be proud of her. He promptly ignores her (he's starting to get good at that) to talk to the cop.

"You ever heard of the Salvatore Boarding School?"

* * *

It's sometime after 7 a.m. when Dr. Saltzman finally reaches them, pulling up to the side of the street where they were pulled over in his old jeep that hopefully was less battle ready than usual. Because...you know, _cop._

Alaric and his beard, bushier than normal, probably because of how early it is, come out with a confused but resigned look on his face. Almost like he's expected trouble at some point with his kids but just wasn't sure what kind it would be. It did however, surprise Alaric to get a call from the Sheriff that he'd been starting to hopefully get to know better, calling about Lizzie, who he _thought_ was getting ready in her room. But that's a conversation for later.

Lizzie, who was leaning against the side of a cop car with her arms up, seemingly chanting the list of amendments next to a weary Landon who also looked quite resigned and ready to be done with the day.

Alaric approaches the Sheriff gingerly, trying to figure the least awkward way of trying to get two of his students out of trouble (one of which was his daughter) while avoiding talking about why he semi-stood her up because he was too busy being trapped in an alternate dimension.

It should be simple.

"Uh, Sheriff?" Alaric lightly taps on her shoulder. She's temporarily caught of guard by him what with her attention being on the kids. She takes off her sunglasses only to squint when she sees who's she's talking to.

"...Alaric?" Mac asks. Alaric lifts the sides of his mouth up in what he hopes looks like a smile - it's 7 a.m. and he hasn't had any coffee and his kid was nearly a jailbird for whatever reason - and hugs his arms in an attempt to feel more comfortable. "Hey Mac. How've ya been?"

Sheriff Mac stutters for a second before pulling it together. "F-Fine. I mean, I have had a lot of free time on my hands thanks to someone I know. Or used to know since I haven't heard from him in weeks."

Okay, ouch. But he deserved that.

"How about you? You, uh, you ever finish that book?"

Alaric raises an eyebrow and is about to ask her what she's talking about before he remembers his lie. "Oh right. Yeah. Happy endings all around."

"At least someone's getting them..." Sheriff Mac mumbles under her breath. For the time being, Alaric ignores that for the present circumstances while making a mental note, no, _promise_ , to call her and apologize properly. Alaric motions over to two of his students. "So, what's going on?"

"Ah yes. Those two have been caught up in quite the situation. After I saw that she was your daughter, because I don't imagine that Saltzman is a common name, I thought you'd immediately like to know that she was involved in a robbery."

_A what?_

"Excuse me?" Alaric almost gasps out, more shocked than disappointed or concerned like most parents probably would be. And it's not like he's not all of those things but Lizzie has magic. What in the world would she possibly need to steal?

"Yes, she and her friend stole something quite valuable."

Alaric, silenced by shock, motions for her to keep going. Sheriff Mac smiles at him. She's enjoying this a bit too much. "Hot dogs."

What?

"They stole what now?" Alaric asks.

"When a hot dog vendor randomly passed out, the two of them took the opportunity to grab a quick bite instead of like, helping to a hospital or something. You can't make this stuff up."

Alaric tilts his head to the side to look over at the two kids still waiting for the final verdict. At least Lizzie has stopped chanting though. And while Alaric doesn't have the slightest clue of what's going on - an annoying growing trend lately - as to why Landon or Lizzie are up and out at this hour or what they're doing and why, there's something he has to address first.

"A hot dog hold up?" Alaric asks, slightly raising his voice because they're only about five feet away. "You two got caught in _a hot dog hold up_?"

At least the two of them have the decency to look sheepish when identical blushes spread over both of their cheeks before they're eyeing the ground. A part of Alaric just knows that they're more ashamed of getting caught with this particular crime than being caught in general.

...He'll deal with that later too.

"Is there anything I can do to fix this?" Alaric pleads. Such a normal, yet bizarre, incident is hard for Alaric to handle now that his life has become that of griffins and gargoyles and dragons and dungeons.

"You know, as much as I'd like to show these hardened criminals what for," Alaric appreciates the light sass in her voice, "I think that if you just pay me the sixteen dollars they owe, I can return it to the vendor and maybe you can talk to your daughter about staying away from fast food vendors for a bit."

Alaric lets out a sigh of relief as he reaches into his back pocket and fishes out his wallet. "Thank you. Thank you so, so much. And I know you're probably so sick of hearing this but I swear, I'll explain everything later." Alaric says and he places the money, a twenty, into her open, waiting palm. Sheriff Mac doesn't really react to the second half of his statement except for a small smile before putting her sunglasses back on. She turns around to face Lizzie and Landon. "You two stay out of trouble." She nods them all goodbye before heading back in her car and driving off leaving nothing but two kids and an adult.

After watching the cop car pull away, Alaric turns towards the teens and raises both his arms in the air in exasperation. "What the hell were you two thinking?"

Landon speaks up first, beating Lizzie at talking. A rare feat. "Dr. Saltzman, I would just like to say that I was an unwilling and unwittingly accomplice the entire time."

Lizzie gasps, promptly smacking his arm. "You were complaining about it the whole time!"

"I was also kidnapped!"

"I didn't see you trying to leave!"

"Woah, woah, woah!" Alaric interrupts, with a flurried set of hand motions, "What are you two talking about? And why were you guys found at the edges of town?"

The two of them fall silent as Lizzie bites her bottom lip with a sheepish, sullen expression on her face while Landon tries to pay attention to anything but the two family members. "I'll uh, I'll just be in the car. Give you guys a minute." Landon announces before disappearing inside Lizzie's car.

Concern washes over Alaric as he looks at her clearly distressed state. She's fidgeting like crazy, trying to suppress the urge by twiddling with her rings. He worries that she may have had another episode or something else she wouldn't want to tell him about which only makes Alaric want to assume the worse. Gently, he grabs both of her hands, imploring her to look at him. "Elizabeth, sweetie, what's going on? You know that you can talk to me about anything you want."

Finally, she meets his gaze and blue and green meet. "But I don't want to hurt you or anybody else or make anybody upset because it really isn't about anybody else or maybe it is but really just mostly about me and I-"

Alaric lets go of her hands only to place them on her shoulders. "Lizzie, Lizzie. Why don't you start from the beginning?"

Lizzie pulls away, feeling all too surrounded and claustrophobic. "That's the thing though daddy. It's not about the beginning. It's about how there's never any end. There's never any end to the monsters, or the dangers, or the drama and every time I think I finally have control over my own damn mind, if not the circumstances around me, there's a literal demon popping out of the closet destroying everything I've work so hard on and _my sister tried to kill me._ My twin sister tried to kill me on multiple occasions and I get it. I get that it's mostly my fault because all this time I wanted the spotlight on me and somehow despite my hardest efforts, it keeps happening, and I should've paid more attention to Josie and it's not entirely her fault because the dark magic corrupted her but I-I-I can't take it anymore. I feel like I'm coming apart at the seams and I just need a break!" 

Lizzie's panting at the end of her little speech, unaware that she didn't stop to take a breath even once. Her eyes burn a bit. Her throat's dry. "Just a little break for a little while." Lizzie whispers mostly to herself but Alaric catches it anyways. His heart breaks for her as he watches her try to get her breathing under control with the same techniques he taught her because she's still feeling all out of sorts in her own skin, in her own head. No one should have to feel like that but Lizzie's been feeling like this her entire life and Alaric's never 100% known what to do to help her but he's always tried.

And clearly it's time for him to try again.

He exhales, long and deep. "...Are you sure that this break is what you need to feel like yourself again?" Alaric asks, seriously. Lizzie's head snaps up, and her red eyes meet him. She nods. Not even the slightest hint of disbelief or mischief on her face at the slightest thought of getting away with something.

"Are you packed?"

She nods.

"Including your medication?"

Her lips thin into a line but she nods.

"Do you have money?" 

Another nod.

"Do you have food and water?"

"...We may have some hot dogs."

Alaric fights the urge to roll his eyes as he takes out his wallet and hands her fifty dollars. Lizzie's eyes widen in surprise. "I'm sorry I can't give you more." Alaric says, "I wasn't expecting this."

"And I wasn't expecting this." Lizzie replies, enthralled with the money and following it with her eyes as she swayed it back and forth. Alaric clears his throat and crosses his arms, effectively gaining Lizzie's attention. "Okay, here are the ground rules. No unnecessary magic. Just because you're not gonna be at the school for a while doesn't mean you no longer represent it. We don't want any suspicion being raised on you and ergo, the rest of us."

"Got it. I'll be as muggle as muggle can be."

"You and Landon find a way to call me and check in with me every two days. I can't run a school properly if half my heart is out there doing God knows what and I don't even know if she's safe. I'll take care of telling Josie and Hope the situation."

Lizzie grimaces. "They're not gonna be happy with me skipping out in the middle of the night with no explanation are they?"

"Probably not. And was that you're plan because I'm not happy with it either."

"No!...I left you a note."

This time Alaric does roll his eyes but it gets lost as he pulls Lizzie into a bear-like hug. "And finally, you be careful out there." He kisses the top of her head. "You two come back to us in one piece."

Like the smart ass she is, Lizzie can't help but comment. "I already have one twin. I don't need a conjoined one."

"Ha ha." Alaric deadpans, "What's the deal with Landon anyways?"

Instinctively, Lizzie looks behind her at the car where Landon waits for them in the passenger seat. She's not entirely sure what exactly Landon's problem is. It's not like he's had any shortage of them from being stabbed to his brother to his more...time consuming latest resurrection to whatever's going on with him and Hope because she, and probably anyone else who's ever talked to him, knows that that girl has free reign over his heart. Also, she's noticed that whenever things get just a bit too hard for him, Landon runs. And he does that a lot. But maybe he has his reasons.

"Like he said, I kidnapped him." Lizzie eventually replies with a wry smile on her face. "A self combustable bird has got to come in handy some time."

Alaric decides not to comment on that part. "I meant everything I said and if anything ever comes up, do not hesitate to call me, I will come get you from wherever you are. And I will wire you guys money whenever you need it. Understand?"

"Understood. Except one thing. Why are letting me do this? I mean I'm grateful and not to look a gift horse in the mouth but why?"

Alaric sighs...contemplating his answer. "As cheesy as it sounds, sometimes people need time to get away from what they think makes them who they are to figure out who they truly are again."

"Wow...you're right. That was really cheesy." Lizzie teases but there's a small smile on her face. Alaric snorts. "How'd you get us out of trouble with the lady cop anyways?" Lizzie asks.

Alaric clears his throat awkwardly. "I um, I kinda know her."

Lizzie squints her eyes in suspicion. "You kinda know her?" she repeats, "What does that me-oh my gosh, is she the one who the sticky note belongs to in your desk draw?"

"You went through my draws Elizabeth?"

Noting the deeper and more irritated tone, she quickly changes the topic. Kinda. Not really. "Never-mind. But you really have to call her now." 

Alaric takes another deep breath before replying again. "Are you sure you're ready for this?"

 _No? Yes? Maybe?_ "Ready as I can be."

Alaric nods before walking Lizzie back to her car. Like the sheriff that was here before him, he too, leans down to look at them through the window. "You two take care of each other alright?"

Landon, confused, but good at rolling with the punches, nods along. "I will but Lizzie might just take the hot dogs and ditch me."

"OH MY GOD. LET IT GO."

* * *

After Alaric takes his leave it's only Landon and Lizzie left, still in the car, trying to figure out where to go next. Lizzie turns the key in the ignition and listens as the car rumbles to life. She starting to like that sound.

"What are you doing? We haven't picked a destination yet."

"I don't care. I just wanna go. And if you behave, maybe, just maybe, we'll stop by Disneyland."

Landon raises an eyebrow. "Do you want me to roll over and play dead too? I'm getting real good at the second one."

"Didn't know that birds could do tricks."

"Full of surprises."

Lizzie favors turning the radio on instead of coming up with a reply. The sweet, pop-y sounds of Ava Max fills the car and it's starting to look like the start of something great already. Or at least something interesting. Lizzie smiles as she pulls off the curb and starts driving for real.

"I just have to ask though." Landon starts again, "Not saying I approve but...why didn't you just use magic on the cop too?"

Lizzie gives him a look. "And risk becoming fugitives?"

"Over hot dogs? And isn't there some type of mind wiping spell?"

"If there are, they're too advanced for even me. One wrong pronunciation or my mind drifts and I've taken away someone's entire lifetime of memories. Now do you wanna keep going over technicalities or do you wanna pull out the map in the glove compartment and pick a place so we have somewhere to go first?"

While Landon grumbled underneath his breath as he grabbed it and looked over the map, Lizzie took a second the center herself and focus on her thoughts. She had no real plan, and someone she was barely even friends with as her temporary partner in crime, and yes, a fuck ton of hot dogs. But Lizzie was finally starting to feel like she could breathe again.

**YOU ARE NOW LEAVING MYSTIC FALLS.**

Yes.

They were.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm ready to get this road trip started. For those of you who care, where do you think they should go first?

**Author's Note:**

> Will I finish this? The world may never know.


End file.
